Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter, Thorpe Salvin

Church. 12th century with 14th century chancel and chapel; tower heightened in the 15th century; 19th century organ chamber. Built of ashlar and rubble limestone with lead and Welsh slate roofs. The building comprises a west tower, two-bay nave with south porch and north aisle, two-bay chancel with gabled south organ chamber and separately-roofed north chapel.

Tower

The tower has a chamfered plinth and moulded band. Buttresses project to the east, with that on the north side extended as a stack. The west window is a 3-light opening, offset to the north, containing cusped pointed lights within a hollow-chamfered surround with hoodmould. Slit windows light the internal stair. A string course and offset sit beneath pointed 2-light belfry openings with louvres and hoodmoulds. Another string course with central gargoyles runs beneath the embattled parapet, which carries crocketed corner pinnacles.

Nave and Porch

The south porch on the left has an arch-braced principal-rafter truss in its gable. Within it stands an excellent 12th century south door with renewed outer shafts and keeled inner shafts rising to scalloped and crocketed capitals. The arch is a 3-order round arch deeply carved with zig-zag and pellet ornament and foiled lobes. Two nave windows on the right have tracery with 3 lights stepped beneath an ogee arch, all within a cusped pointed arch; the openings are double-chamfered and square-headed. Two chamfered, mullioned clerestorey windows of 2 lights light the nave.

North Aisle and Chancel

The north aisle has a chamfered plinth and a buttress to the west. Between two 3-light windows with hollow-chamfered surrounds, Tudor-arched heads and hoodmoulds stands another buttress. A blocked ogee-headed north door is visible. The clerestorey matches that of the south side. In the chancel, an ashlar organ-chamber projection features a square-headed window of 2 ogee lights. To the left of the chancel is a quoined lancet window with low transom and hoodmould. Angle buttresses flank the 3-light east window with reticulated tracery. The east gable has copings and a clock beneath a stepped plinth to a stylised apex cross.

North Chapel

The north chapel is in the Decorated style with a chamfered and moulded plinth, diagonal buttresses and string course beneath sills. Two 2-light north windows and a north door on the right with moulded surround and ogee arch with finials light the space. A corbel table runs to the battered parapet, which continues across the east gable above a pointed 2-light window.

Interior

The tower arch has shafted responds with scalloped capitals and a pointed, moulded arch decorated with zig-zag ornament. The north arcade has an octagonal pier and round responds with waterleaf capitals and 2-order round arches. The nave roof dates to the 16th century and features moulded, cambered tie beams with bosses, short king posts and moulded purlins. An asymmetrical double-chamfered arch set on corbels opens into the north chapel. The chancel arch has round responds with a keeled shaft in the west angle and a moulded round arch. A pointed double-chamfered arch with 1/2-round responds bearing nailhead ornament opens into the north chapel. A 19th century double-chamfered arch opens into the organ chamber. A three-seat sedilia with chamfered shafts, ogee heads and castellated cresting is positioned in the chancel. The chancel roof, probably 17th century, has cambered tie beams supporting three moulded principal-rafter trusses. A trefoil-headed piscina sits in the north chapel; its roof matches the chancel roof but is partly underdrawn.

Fittings

A remarkable Norman font bears representations of a baptism and of the four seasons under round-headed arches.

Monuments

An incised alabaster slab in the chancel floor commemorates Katherine Sandford (died 1461). Above the sedilia is a monument to Hercy Sandford (died 1582) and his wife, showing affronted kneelers in a recess beneath a segmental pediment with arms. A similar monument opposite commemorates Roger Portington (died circa 1604) and his wife.